Tag Archives: australia

The New Moderns: Just Add Color – Decorating Tips from Downunder

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There’s a new sensibility at work in homes that demonstrates a modernist, almost minimalist, aesthetic.

 

The message of simplicity in concrete floors, natural timber joinery, exposed beams or blackened steel-framed windows and doors may still be characteristic, but it has been brushed with colour. Softly muted tones, deep muddy shades or occasional pops of a bright hue feature in the latest residential interiors. The result is a more casual, cosy and more compassionate version of minimalism.

Does decor add value to your home?  Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for your Real Estate Appraisal questions.

 

Park House is a perfect example. It’s at the vanguard of Australian home design and stole the show at the recent Australian Interior Design Awards (AIDA), receiving both the coveted Premier Award (Victoria) and top honors for Residential Design.

 

This house is in Melbourne’s suburb of Hawthorn and was a design collaboration between Leeton Pointon Architects and Allison Pye Interiors. It is fresh and inviting, even homely, despite its sophistication, largely because of the muted colour in every room. There are also curvaceous walls, which work as subtle sculptural nuances delineating each space. And a generous use of timber offsets the austerity associated with the many concrete surfaces.

 

 

“Robust natural concrete, polished concrete floors, natural grey rendered walls are set against natural timber ceilings, hand-made bush basil tiles, soft-waxed walls and linen curtains,” says architect Michael Leeton. “Furnishings in natural linens and artwork made from natural materials complete the overall picture.”

 

For the furniture and furnishings, in the bedroom and living rooms of Park House, subdued colours, such as dusty pink, sandy tan, speckled grey and soft teal, add warmth to the more brutish materials used for hard surfaces.

 

“We like to juxtapose raw materials against softer elements as a way of heightening and celebrating their innate qualities,” says Leeton. “It’s a wholistic approach to design that creates environments which imbue this quality and allow a sense of silence to the space.”

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/homestyle/the-new-moderns-just-add-colour-20130711-2pryu.html#ixzz2YpwXdBrX

Overseas Investors Buying US Homes – BEWARE

First we cannot stress more that this is the time you need to speak with someone who has no interest in the transaction.  This is where the real estate appraiser comes in.  For example if you see a house on the internet in San Diego but you are in Australia you need an appraiser to inspect the property and give you their opinion of value.  Appraisers usually do not work with agents (we do not recommend having an agent involved in the transaction recommending the appraiser); we are an independent body, heavy regulated by the government and again we have no interest in the sale;  we receive no commission from the sale.  Contact the appraisers at: www.socalappraisalserv.com for a valuation.  For appraisers outside of Southern California contact Southern California Appraisal Services and they will direct you to ways of finding a qualified appraiser in the area.  Is it worth $400+ US for an appraisal on an investment that could be in the millions?, you bet.  The appraisal will probably help with negotiation, and peace of mind. Si habla Espanol.

Thinking it might be time to buy one of those el cheapo US properties? You’ll find there’s no shortage of experts here to help you.

Faint stirrings – and I do mean faint – in the US housing market seem to have ramped up the marketing of apparently cheap houses to Australian investors. But some things aren’t cheap at any price and this is one gift horse that needs to have its mouth carefully examined.

A property consultant and consumer advocate, Neil Jenman, says the most compelling proof that this is a dangerous game is that many of the country’s big-name property spruikers are now spruiking US product. Obviously having decided this is more profitable than flogging overpriced units on the Gold Coast, they’ve linked up with US promoters to offer one-stop-shop services to Australian investors dazzled by those cheap US prices.

Which is where the second warning bell should sound.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/spruikers-flog-dubious-us-properties-20111205-1oe1g.html#ixzz1fgXangw3

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